Electric-conductor support and system



S. S. MATTHES.

ELECTRIC CONDUCTOR SUPPORT AND SYSTEM. APPLICATION FiLED SEPT. 2, 1921;

Patented Jan. 3, 1922 SAMUEL S. MATTHES, OF MANSFIELD, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE OHIO BRASS GQMPALN'Y,

OF MANSFIELD, OHIO, A COBBORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

ELECTRIC-CONDUCTOR SUPPORT AND SYSTEM.

1 0 aZZ whom it may concern Be it known that I, SAMUEL S. Mi-rrrnns, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Mansfield, in the county of Richland and State of Ohio, have invented certain'new and useful Improvements in Electric-Conductor Supports and Systems, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to trolley devices and has particular-reference to that class of devices in which it is desired to'suspend one or more conductors from an overhead support.

It is very often desirable that-the trolley wire or wires shall be suspended or supported from a catenary or messenger cable below and to one side of the cable as in the case of curve construction, and when such a construction is used it is found that not only the length but the angularity of the supporting member extending between the con ductors and supporting cable must be varied, and one object of my invention is to provide a device whereby the angularity of the member extending between the clamping member for the conductors and the overhead support may be varied relatively to the overhead support or the conductor clamp or both.

In the drawing accompanying this specification- Fig. 1 shows a front view of my invention as-applied to two conductors, one of which is a trolley wire or contact wire for a collector and the other I an auxiliary conductor, both suspended from a supporting or catenary cable.

Fig. 2 shows an end view of the device as shown and used in Fig. 1.

In the construction shown in the accompanying drawing I have provided two clamping members 1 and 2 respectively, held to-V and provided at the other end with screw' threaded means 8 for the attachment of supporting member '9. To the opposite end of the supporting member 9 to which the member 4: is secured, is an attachment 10 by means of which the whole device is secured to a catenary cable 11. The clamping mem Specification of Letters Patent. Patignfi ed Jan, 3, 1922,

Application filed September 2, 1921.

Serial No. 498,119.

bers 1 and 2 are provided at their lower edge with jaws l2 and 13 respectively to engage and grip a trolley conductor 14. The upper end of the clamping member 2 is provided with a jaw 15. The member a is provided with a groove 17 co-acting with the jaw 15 to engage and grip the conductor 16.

The specific construction herein shown and described offers a very compact arrangement for freely suspending the two conductors to one side of themessenger cable in combination with means for adjusting the angularity of the supporting rod 9 with respect to the conductors 14 and 16, such that the conductors may assume a natural position relatively to the catenary cable due to any side and downward stress upon the conductors. There are many modifications which will readily suggest themselves and be apparent to one skilled inv the art and which would fall within the scope of my invention as set forth in the claims, and while I have shown the means of adjustment located at the upper end of the clamping members and forming one groove 17 co-acting with thej aw 15 to grip the upper conductor, it is quite apparent that theadjusting member l may readily be modified and located elsewhere and co-act with the clamping members 1 and 2 to suspend the clamping membars from the messenger cable 11 and permit adjustability. c

The installation of my invention will be quite apparent as it is merely a matter of causing the clamping members-to grip the two conductors, placing the member 9 at such an angle as is believed to meet the requirements and tightening the parts up by means of the bolt and nut 33 and then engaging the member 10 with the caten-ary cable 11, or the catenary cable 11 may be engaged first by the member 10 and then the device secured to the trolley conductors 1 1 and 16.

The parts shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2 indicate the adjustability of such parts with respect to the clamping members 1 and 2. In this position the one conductor is shown in a directhorizontal line with respect to the messenger cable.

While I have described my invention as" applied to two conductor cables, it-willbe quite apparent also that the adjustable fea ture and its form of connection with the clamping members or an equivalent arrangement can be applied to a device designed to suspend a single conductor and the device herein shown and described can beused on a single conductor 14: ifdesired, by merely nserting a substitute member of proper size and short length'in place of the conductor 16. While I have shown the two conductors with their axes in a common vertical plane, my invention will permit of adjustment so that their axes will rest in a common plane other than that of a vertical plane.

Having described my invention 1 claim l. A support for a plurality of conductors comprising clamping means to maintain the conductors in a fixed relation to each other, connecting means associated and coacting with the clampingmeans to secure the clamping means to a support and means coacting with the clamping and connecting means whereby the angularity of the connecting means relative to the clamping means may be varied.

2. A support fora trolley conductor com: prising clamping means to grip the conductor, connecting means associated and coacting with the clampingmeans to secure the clamping means to a support and means coacting with the clamping and connecting jmeans whereby the angularity of the connecting means relative to the clamping means may be varied and fixed.

3. A support for a plurality of conductors comprising clamping means tomaintain the conductors in a fixed relation to each otherfconnecting means associated and coacting with the clamping means to secure the clamping means to a support, means 00- acting with the clamping and connecting means whereby the angularity of the connecting means relative to the clamping means may be varied, and means to clamp and hold the parts in a predetermined position relative to each other.

4. A support for a plurality of conductors comprising clamping means to maintain the conductors in a, fixed relation to each other, connecting means associated and c0- acting with the clamping means to secure the clamping means to a support and means coacting with the clamping and connecting means whereby a line intersecting the axes of the conductors may be varied-relatively to a line passing through one of the conductors and the support. a 5; Asupport'ior a plurality of conductors comprising clamping means to maintain the conductor'sdn a fixed relation to each other, connecting means adiustably associated and coacting with the clamping means.

to suspend the conductorsfrom a support in ad ustable relation thereto, and means to clamp and-hold the parts in a predeter- 'mined relation to each other.

6. A support for a plurality of conductors-comprising clamping means to maintain .tliewconductors in aofixed relation 110. each ways comprising a catenary cable, a conductor positioned below and to one side of the other, a connecting member having means at one end to connect to a support and means-at the other end for securing the connecting member to the clamping means in adjustable relation.

7. A support for a plurality of conduc tors comprising clamping means to maintain the conductors in a fixed relation to each other, a connecting member having means at one end to connect to a support, means at the other end for securing the connecting member tothe clamping means in adjustable relation, and means to secure the clamping means and the connecting member in a predetermined fixed relation.

8. A support for a trolley conductor comprising clamping means to grip the conductor, a connecting member having means at one end to connect to a support and means at the other end for securing the connecting member to the clamping means in fixed relation thereto and permitting the fixed relation to be changed at will.

9. An overhead system for electric railways comprising acatenary cable, two conductors positioned below and to one side of the catenary cable and held together in a fixed relative position by clamping means an inclined member having one end secure to the catenary cable andthe other end adjustably secured to the clamping means suchthat the. angle formed by the longitudinal axis of the inclined member and a line intersecting the axes of the conductors at the clamping means may be varied.

10. An overhead system for electric railcatenary cable, clamping means to engage and grip the conductor, an inclined member having one end secured to the catenary cable and the other end adjustably secured to the clamping means such that the inclination of the inclined rod may be varied and fixed at will in any desired position.

11. A support for a plurality of conductors comprising clamping means to maintain the conductors in a fixed relation to each other, a connecting member for suspending the clamping means from a support and adjustably seciired to the clamping means whereby the angle formed by a line intersecting the axis of the conductors and the longitudinal axis of the connecting membermay be varied. r v

12. A support for a plurality of conductors comprising clamping means to maintain the conductors in'a fixedrelation to veach ,other,;a connecting member having means i.or attachment to an overhead support and with the oppositely disposed jaw to grip the tors comprising a clamping means comprising a pair of members having at one end oppositely disposed jaws to grip a wire and having at the opposite end on one of the members a jaw to engage a conductor and the other member having means to secure an adjustable member thereto; an adjustable member having means extending therefrom to engage an overhead support and oppositely disposed to the last mentioned jaw to receive the second conductor and to coact conductor, and means on the adjustable member coacting with means on the engaged clamping member whereby the angular relation of the projecting means on the adjustable means may be varied; and means to move the clamping members and adjustable member into engagement with the conductors and lock the adjustable member in position relative to the clamping members.

14. A support for a plurality of conductors comprising clamping means to maintain the conductors in a fixed relation to each other, the clamping means comprising a pair of clamping members, a connecting means associated and coacting with one of the clamping members to secure the clamping means to a support, the connecting means adjustably secured to the clamping member whereby a line intersecting the axes of the conductors may be varied relatively to the longitudinal axis of theconnecting member and means for moving the clamplng members into a holding position.

15. A support for a pair of conductors comprising a pair of clamping members having oppositely disposed jaws to directly engage and grip one of the conductors and one of the members having a jaw to directly engage and grip the other conductor, and means interposed between the second conductor and the other members to engage the second conductor and coact with the jaw on the first member to grip the second conductor, means on the interposed means engaging means on one of the clamping members whereby the interposed member may be rotated about the second conductor with the axis of the second conductor acting as the center of rotation, means secured to the interposed means for suspending the device from a support and means for securing the clamping members, interposed means and conductors in a fixed relation.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

SAMUEL S. MATTHES. 

